Interactive: building a metal activity series. Six metals, calcium, magnesium, zinc, iron, copper and silver, are tested in cold water, dilute hydrochloric acid, oxygen and solutions of each other's ions. Bubbles, flames and metal coatings show how vigorously each reacts. A ladder beside the bench ranks the metals from every test run so far and links each one to its place in the standard series from a data book. Pick one metal to inspect, with its observation and balanced equation.

Cold water can't tell zinc from silver

Every test separates only some of the metals. Cold water leaves zinc, iron, copper and silver all doing nothing; acid, oxygen and other metals' ions pull them apart, and stacking the results builds the ladder. Run each test, then choose one metal and watch its observation and equation.